Elon Musk revives feud with Parag Agrawal amid federal employee crackdown

Elon Musk's clash with Parag Agrawal dates back to his 2022 takeover of Twitter when he ousted the CEO and other top executives

Elon Musk has reignited his past feud with former Twitter (now X) CEO Parag Agrawal while enforcing a stringent new policy requiring US federal employees to submit detailed work reports or risk termination.

 

Musk, who now heads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Donald Trump administration, took aim at Agrawal in response to an X user’s post. The post drew parallels between Musk’s latest mandate and a heated 2022 exchange where the Tesla CEO had bluntly asked the then-Twitter, “What did you get done this week?” after the latter attempted to address internal challenges at the company.

 

 

“Parag got nothing done. Parag was fired,” Musk wrote on X. 

Parag got nothing done.  Parag was fired. https://t.co/69Je8rpYoM

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025

 

The row stems from an email directive sent by DOGE to employees at multiple federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With the subject line “What did you do last week?” the email instructed employees to submit five bullet points summarising their work accomplishments and to copy their managers. Employees were given until 11:59 pm EST on Monday to respond.

 

The mandate follows President Trump’s directive for Musk to accelerate government downsizing efforts, leading to speculation about mass layoffs. Critics have questioned the legality and practicality of such a move, while Musk defended the policy, saying employees with strong responses could be considered for promotions.

 

Past feud

 

Musk’s clash with Agrawal dates back to his 2022 takeover of Twitter when he ousted the CEO and other top executives. Reports suggested Agrawal’s refusal to remove a specific Twitter account contributed to his dismissal. Following their termination, Agrawal and three other executives sued Musk for $128 million in unpaid severance, alleging wrongful dismissal.

 

With Musk now wielding influence in both tech and government, his aggressive push for “efficiency” has sparked fresh debate over workplace accountability and executive power. The directive’s impact on federal agencies remains to be seen, but it has already intensified scrutiny of Musk’s leadership style.